Samurai Spicy Roll
by metalguru
Summary: Prequel to Bleedman's PPGD. The story of how Samurai Jack went from the future to teacher of the Powerpuff Girls.
1. Chapter 1

Story: "Samurai Spicey Roll"  
Fanfic of: PPGD  
Synopsis: The story of how Samurai Jack ended up in Megaville. But when you're a time-traveling samurai forced to make ends meet, can you really find time to save the world?

It was a normal day in the home of one Dexter, boy genius.

Or at least as normal as it can get in Dexter's Laboratory.

BOOM! "DEEDEE, GET OUT OF MY LABORATORY!" shouted Dexter, chasing his ballerina sister with a wrench.

Deedee danced across the wreckage, giggling happily as she spun in her pink tutu, nimbly avoiding an explosion which sent Dexter flying.

Suddenly, alarms and klaxons rang from Dexter's only true companion and love, the amazingly sentient being known only as 'computer'.

"Dexter, we have an emergency. All time and space is bending to create a passage through time."

"OOOO, what does that mean?" asked Deedee.

Dexter charged to the computer. "It means a wormhole, which can only mean one thing: a timetraveler!" Dexter's eyes shot up in glee. "Computer, isolate the wormhole, make sure..."

As quickly as it appeared, the wormhole disappeared.

"Dexter," said computer, "we've lost the coordinates. However, the wormhole opened somewhere in Tokyo, Japan...wait." A new blip appeared on the computer, this one just as powerful as the first. "Dexter, a second wormhole is opening up."

"Don't lose it computer!" Dexter's hands flew nimbly over his multiple keyboards. "Isolate the source and bring it here!"

Across the lab, one of Dexter's teleporter tubes exploded in light. Atoms swirled and crashed together, creating a figure in the tube.

The tube opened and smoke poured out. A single figure stumbled from the tube. He was a man, a fully-grown man of about twenty-five, with powerful shoulders and long black hair tied in a loptop. He wore a robe that Dexter had only seen in old Kurosawa films. His face was caked in dirt and blood, his robe soaked through with rain and torn as if it had been cut with a sword. To his side was a beautifully ornate sword, black as the night with red jewels embedded in the hilt.

He gasped for air. "Where is, what is, I must...need, stop...Aku!"

With that final word, the man fell to his knees and then to the floor.

Dexter and Deedee stared at the newcomer in stunned silence.

"HE'S DEAD!" screamed Deedee.

Dexter rolled his eyes. "He's just in shock. Help me get him medical attention."

The man slowly opened his eyes to discover he was in a normal bedroom in a suburban home with a short, red-haired boy looking at some x-rays while an older blond girl prepared some tea on the dresser. He discovered that his arm was in a sling and his torso was wrapped in bandages.

Noticing that he was awake, they both turned their attention to the man.

"HI!" shouted the blond girl in a tutu.

"Deedee!" shouted the boy, "this man is from another time. The chance of him speaking our language is 999, 675 to one."

The boy turned to the man and pressed his hands to his chest.

"Dexter. Dex-ter."

The man did the same. "Dexter."

The girl handed the man some tea. "And my name's Deedee!"

"Deedee, what did I just..."

"Thank you, Deedee," said the man, "for the delicious tea."

Dexter was speechless. "You speak our language?"

"Yes," said the man.

"Then why didn't you say so?" asked Dexter.

"You never asked." said the man.

Dexter was bursting at the gills. Here was a timetraveler, who had come through a wormhole, and could speak his language! What knowledge he could impart, what wisdom the ages could have given him!

_What should I ask? I could learn more about a certain age than anyone could ever guess! And if he's from the future, the possibilities are endless! He could have the answer to any question that puzzles the greatest minds of today! He could bring about a new age in science and understanding, if only by answering the age-old question, 'what is the meaning of life!'_

"What's your name?" asked Deedee.

"They call me Jack." said the man.

"Kids, dinner time!" The voice of their mother came through from downstairs.

"Mr. Jack, will you join us for dinner?" asked Deedee.

Dexter crossed his arms. "My stupid sister, you forget that this man came into our house through the very fabric of time itself. How could we possibly explain the sudden appearance of a..."

Dexter turned around to find Deedee and the man named Jack promptly walking out the bedroom door and downstairs.

"No, Deedee, no!"

"Kids." Their father stood at the bottom of the stairs. "C'mon down, your mom made meatloaf. And for dessert: _muffins_." His eyes glazed over. "And who is this?"

Deedee pulled Jack downstairs by his good arm. "This is Jack, he's a time-"

"On time for dinner!" Dexter cut in. "Dad, you remember...um...Uncle Jack?"

"Hmm," Dexter's dad rubbed his chin. "I don't remember having a Jack in the family."

"On Mom's side," said Deedee.

"Ohh, Uncle Jack!" The two adults shook hands. "I haven't seen you since the wedding."

Dexter's jaw dropped. _That actually worked?_

They all walked into the kitchen where Mom was placing the meatloaf on the table.

"Well, it appears we have a guest."

"Yeah! Uncle Jack!" cried Deedee, making sure she took a place right next to their visitor.

"Yeah, you remember Uncle Jack, right hon?" said Dad. His voice dropped to a whisper. "_Crazy_ Uncle Jack."

"I hope I am not imposing," Jack said in his most polite tone of voice.

"Nonsense, you're family. Now eat up."

Everyone dug into their food. Deedee looked up from her meal to notice that Jack hadn't touched his food, but was rather watching everyone else.

"What's wrong, Mis...Uncle Jack? You haven't touched your food."

Jack smiled. "It's been sometime since I've had a nice quiet meal with loved ones."

Dad looked up from his meal and grabbed the remote. "Oh, I forgot to check the scores for the game."

"Dear, please! We're having dinner!" Mom scolded.

Dad flipped on the TV. Rather than a sports game, a news flash filled the screen. The reporter on the screen was crouched behind a car while people ran for their lives in the background.

"...the giant monstrosity refuses to cease its path of destruction. If it's not stopped, the entire city will be destroyed!"

Jack jumped up from the table. His ribs ached with every sudden movement, but he couldn't sit here and watch this happen.

"Where is that broadcast coming from?"

"From Townsville," said Mom. "Oh what those poor people go through."

"You'd make a killing in the construction business there," replied Dad.

Jack couldn't understand why they were so calm. Then, on the screen, the camera panned upward as three streaks of color flew by, one red, one green, one blue.

"It's a bird!"  
"It's a plane!"  
"It's an aardvark!"

"No, it's _the Powerpuff Girls_!"

The monster was over ten stories tall and absolutely dwarfed the skyscrapers of the homely city of townsville. It had bright orange fur, big red eyes, and teeth like razors, with four mechanical tentacles for arms.  
The three girls charged towards the monsters like they had countless monsters before.

"Ready, girls?" said Blossom, the leader of the three.

"Ready!" cried Bubbles and Buttercup in reply. Blossom took the head, while Bubbles aimed for the legs and Buttercup the arms. Blossom struck the monster head on, causing it to flinch for the correct moment for Bubbles to knock the monster's legs out from under it. Buttercup grabbed the monster's arms and tied them together.

Coming together, all three girls grabbed hold of the arms. Spinning with all their might, they began to spin the monster in a massive circle, gaining enormous momentum.

Releasing the monster from their grip, the creature flew through the air and into the distance, becoming like a blip on the horizon.

The people below cheered as the girls took their victory lap over the city.

"And once again, the day is saved, thanks to...the Powerpuff Girls!"

Back in Dexter's home, the whole event was witnessed by the family and their new guest. While the rest of the family went back to their dinner, Jack continued to watch the news and reflect.

If this had been the future, no one would have stopped that beast.

But here, in this time, there are those capable of fighting back.

There are those willing to stand against evil.

End Chapter Zero


	2. Chapter 2

So, are you from the future or the past?"

"Both, actually."

Chapter 1: "Angels and Airwaves"

Jack hadn't talked about his situation during dinner, and Dexter didn't bring it up. After dinner, Jack helped Mom do the dishes, a strange sight if Dexter knew the man's true identity. Once they got back upstairs, it was time to sit down and talk. Jack had quickly figured out that if Dexter could keep a ginormous lab a secret from his parents, he could be counted on to keep the samurai's secrets to himself.

"In the past, a sor-" Jack decided to choose his words carefully. "A warlord named Aku took control of my land. I fought him, but he sent me to the future, where he rules undisputed. In the future, I searched for a way home. I discovered that the only way to go home was to defeat Aku in the future. After a great battle, I succeeded."

"Then all that's left is for you to go home, right?" Dexter smiled and pointed to himself. "Child's play for a super-genius like me!"

"No!" Jack shouted. Dexter was stunned at the ferocity in his voice. Jack lightened again and wiped his brow. "I am sorry. What I meant to say was that several things happened which prevent me from returning home. First, someone else came through from the future. I must find that person."

"Who?"

Jack pondered telling Dexter the truth. Then he spoke. "I followed a woman from the future. Her name is Ikra. She is a servant of Aku, and was...linked... to her master."

"Linked? Like...psychically?" Dexter's mind filled with possibilities.

Jack nodded. "Something like that. When Aku died, she should have died with him. But I was a fool. I had been told I wasn't ready to face him, but I was stubborn and ignorant. I had always outsmarted them before, and I became blinded to the fact that they were one step ahead of me. "

Jack's eyes were filled with a deep sadness, a longing Dexter had never seen before in anyone. "Because of me, many people lost their lives. We killed Aku...but his evil survived on, and has come to this time to finish what he started."

Dexter thought for a moment, then came upon an epiphany. "But I can still send you back in time. You can go back to your own time and stop all this long before it happens. You don't need to stay here."

Jack shook his head. "There is one more reason that this time is the crucial time for me. Only in this day and age exists someone who can repair..._this_"

Jack drew his sword from it's sheath. However, only the hilt and a third of the actual blade came out. Tilting the sheath, Jack carefully removed the rest of the blade.

The blade, the holy blade which was the object in existence capable of destroying the evil... had been snapped in two.

For about two weeks, Jack remained around the house, doing chores with Mom, learning about sports from Dad, meditating with Deedee, and of course, physical therapy with Dexter. Jack had suffered several lacerations to his torso and torn ligaments in his arm. Dexter guessed they were from the battle that Jack had talked about, though he could only imagine what the man had gone through.

What was more interesting to Dexter was the sword in Jack's possession. Apparently, Jack was a samurai from very early Japan, and had traveled all over the world in training, to Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and back again. At the end of his journey, he recieved this sword, a beautifully forged sword whose creator must have been heads and tails above any sword maker who ever lived.

_What could possibly snap a blade like this in half?_

On the day Dexter removed Jack's sling, Jack quickly returned to his former self. The very next day, he was up shadow-boxing as the sun dawned. Though early on a Saturday, Dexter and Deedee had both got up to watch the impressive demonstration of Wing Chun, karate, and a number of other styles they had never seen before. Jack even taught Deedee a few moves, to be incorporated into her next dance routine.

It was then Jack made his announcement.

"Dexter, I wish to continue my journey to defeat Aku. But I will need your help to find Ikra."

"Well," thought Dexter, "there was a wormhole that opened before yours. It landed in Tokyo, but I don't even know where I would start searching."

"I do." Jack's face showed a little anger. "Run a search on Doctor Nora Wakeman. Namely which companies she has worked with in the past year."

Dexter input the data in his computer and hundreds of web pages flew by on screen before stopping on a certain page with a picture and a biography.

"Hm. She worked with a lot of companies and the government, but that was years ago. There's a drop-off point where she quit working for anybody, but that was over a decade ago...wait." At the bottom of the list was a new entry. "The only company she's worked with recently is a small defense company called A-Korp."

Jack didn't even bother to look at the screen. "That's them. This company is the herald of the apocalypse."

"Are you sure? I'm looking up data on them right now...whoa." Hundreds of articles appeared on screen. TIME, Newsweek, Fortune; all the big names were up there. "According to this, A-Korp is the biggest supplier to superhero organizations and global defense companies. They've dedicated themselves to protecting the planet, and are active in promoting peace amongst the global community. They're also the chief architects for renovations and repairs to the Watchtower and Titans Tower...jeeze, these guys are heroes."

Jack took a close look at the screen. _This can't be right. How could I be so off?_

Dexter continued to read off the company charter. "Oh hey, look. Their main office is in Japan, but the President also has headquarters in Megaville. 'The President is a recluse who does not appear in public due to personal reasons, but his extremely unselfish actions and giving nature place him on the same level as active superheroes.'" Dexter read the article one more time, then thought for a moment. "Maybe you should go speak to this President. If he's like they say he is, he may be understanding to your plight. And if Ikra's infiltrated this company, he could help you find her."

It was a hot day in the city as the summer's heat beat down upon the skyscrapers and blacktop. Everyone from businessmen in their expensive suits to construction workers fixing the roads searched for shade or an airconditioned cafe to beat the heat for a moment.

Nearby at the Megaville convention center, an Anime convention had a line of people in costumes going around the block. Armor, catgirls, and other strange cosplays wandered around the local area generally smelling bad and freaking out the locals.

But while all these fanboys dreamed of living out the lives of their idols, nearby outside of one of the highest towers, a man in normal clothes (a white collared shirt and brown slacks) tried to cosplay as someone he had never been before: a normal human being.

"It cannot be this simple." Jack looked up at the massive sign outside of the tower.

**A-Korp**: where dreams become reality.

Jack walked into the front doors into the massive lobby where numerous people milled about in their various tasks. A large receptionist desk took up most of the middle, where several employees busily manned phones and computers.

"Excuse me," Jack asked one of the receptionists. "I would like to see the President of the company."

"Do you have an appointment?" She asked nonchalantly.

"Um," Jack stuttered, "yes?"

"Name?"

"Jack."

The receptionist looked down at her computer. "I'm sorry, your name isn't on..."

The computer flickered for a moment. "Oh, here you are. Please go right up."

Jack let out a sigh of relief. _It helps having a super-genius in your corner._

---------------------------------------------------------------   
Up in the President's office, four TV screens displayed the face of an aging man with bloodshot eyes wearing a black suit with a white shirt and black tie. The man spoke with a drawl as well as with the weight of a man who needs a break.

"...we don't know whether the planet is in danger or not, but all signs point to a gathering of several alien forces. Their intent at this time is unknown. We intercepted a secret transmission in an alien language, however, our translators were only able to decode two words: Black Eden. We don't want this to get out of control, that's why we came to you first."

"You were correct to come to us. I'll have my best men look into it." The President spoke in a deep, almost echoing voice. "Have your men gained any leads into the recent Chemical X theft? If it were to fall into the wrong hands, the results could be disastrous."

"We're working around the clock. It's our highest priority. We'll find them."

"You're a credit to the M.I.B., Zed. Felinus out."

The TV screens flipped off, all except for one. The secretary from the front appeared on the largest screen.

"Sir, your appointment is here."

"I don't have an appointment right now." The President's voices hinted at annoyance.

"But, sir, he's on his way up." The secretary was now flustered.

"I don't care who he is, he's not..." A second TV flipped on, showing monitor footage of Jack in the elevator.

"I take that back. Send him right in."

Jack opened the large oak doors and entered a very sparse room with only two chairs and a desk. Behind the desk sat a very large figure, his face and body all wrapped in a dark cloak with red trimming down the sides. His shoulders stretched wide, longer than the arm length of a normal man. His face was not visible through the cloak.

"Please come in and have a seat," his voice boomed.

Jack was hesistant at first, but finally sat down. The chair was suede leather and very comfortable, a stark contrast to the otherwise spartan environment. Jack noticed a small plak on the desk.

President D. Felinus, CEO  
"How may I help you, Mr.?" His voice, unlike his appearance, was polite and welcoming.

"Jack. I'm looking for a woman who may either be a part of your company or is trying to bring great harm to it."

The President took a deep breath, then folded his arms.

"These are grave accusations, Mr. Jack. Have you any proof of your beliefs?"

Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out a small CD. "This is the signed confession of one Dr. Nora Wakeman, dated a century in the future. In it, she details how she was blackmailed into creating war machines... for your company."

The President titled his head to one side. "A confession...from the future?"

Jack nodded his head. "I know it is hard to believe, and I don't accuse you, but the world is in grave danger and your company is involved. I brought this before you because I believe through your work you have seen many things others would believe impossible, and only you would understand what I am trying to accomplish."

Jack handed over the disk to the President, he held it gently in his hands, examining the CD for himself.

"Mr. Jack...I...believe you."

Jack's spirits rose. "You do?"

"Yes I do. I know exactly who this woman is, and where to find her." The cloaked man opened a drawer containing a panel with several buttons. He pushed a large red one. "Send them in."

The door opened quickly and several men in grey suits wearing sunglasses rushed in and blocked the doorway. They quickly shut the door and locked it, then took up positions around Jack.

Jack stood somewhat awkwardly. He had planned for this outcome, but after the President's assurances, Jack didn't know what to think.

Jack's thoughts were quickly cut off as the President stood. He was almost seven feet tall and his robe dropped all the way to the floor. He walked around the desk and stood before Jack.

Then, in a most formal and respectful manner, the President dropped to one knee and bowed his head before Jack. Jack was now bewildered.

_What exactly is going on?_

The President stood up to his full height and wiped off his arms.

"That is the last time I bow before your family...my prince."

"_Your_ prince?" Jack gaped. "But that means you..."

"Guards!" The President shouted, his meaty, purple hand pointing at Jack.

"Get him!"

"He's only one man!" shouted the President. "Get him!"

All eight men charged Jack at once, a full-on bum rush that would have easily taken down a weaker man.

Jack pivoted quickly and grabbed the man directly behind him, twisting the man's arm and throwing him over Jack's shoulder into the man in front of both of them. As the two tumbled head over heel, Jack used the momentum to roll forward. Coming up on one knee, Jack punched his fist directly into another guard's gut, sending him down for the count.

In almost five seconds, Jack had dropped three men. The others backed off, but then reached into their suits and pulled out weapons. Two drew clubs, one a chain, another a knife, and the last one two sai.

Jack relaxed his arms and two metal objects slid down his arms into both his hands: brass knuckles. Jack placed them on his hands and readied for the second wave.

"You didn't bring your sword?" cackled the President. "I'm insulted."

Jack didn't bother to respond. Instead, he watched the feet of each man to see who would move first.

The two with clubs came at him at the same time. In one simultaneous movement, they both tried to bring down their clubs upon him. Jack punched out both his arms, snapping both clubs into two using the brass knuckles. Using their momentum against them, Jack stepped past them and turned, grabbing both their hands and banging them together.

Behind Jack, the guard with the knife and the guard with the sai came at him. "Block this!" they cried.

Jack spun around and roundhouse kicked both guards. They anticlimatically dropped to the ground gasping.

"I have no time for this!" shouted Jack. "Realize that you are supporting evil!"

Suddenly, Jack was struck in the back by what felt like a sledgehammer. Pain shot through his body as he flew across the room and landed against the wall. It wasn't the last guard that hit him. The President himself had joined the fight.

"Evil, young prince?" The cloaked figure said. "Such a relative term. One man's devil is another's god."

Jack stood, his insides throbbing. He was hurt, but not done yet. "Only one who has sold their soul would believe those words."

The President laughed. "Who's sold their soul? I was talking about myself."

He charged forward and threw a jab at Jack with all his might. Jack jumped aside and the punch landed on the wall behind him. The sound of plaster and metal snapping resounded in the room as the President's fist went **through the wall**!

Jack, using the moment, whirled as fast as he could and kicked the President directly in the back as hard as he could. The blow would have snapped a human being's spine in half, but Jack's blow didn't even make the massive creature flinch. It felt like he had kicked a brick wall.

"Hehehe," the monstrosity grinned. "you've never faced someone like me."

Jack jumped back and took up his best fighting stance. "What are you?"

The President tore his hand out of the wall, pulling out half the paneling with it. He stretched out his hand, which was now covered in cuts and bleeding black blood.

"I've been called many things throughout the years. Mephistopheles, Darth Felinus, Dark Cat, amongst others, but there's one name I've become particularly fond of: The Dark Prophet Kaos."/i

"You don't recognize me, do you my young prince?"

Jack had taken down seven of the eight men using only his wits and his fists. To take down this creature, he would need much more. "I imagine I would have noticed a seven foot tall purple anthropomorphic cat."

Kaos made no attempt to attack Jack again. Jack watched as the skin on Kaos' hand boiled like water in a kettle. The creature wiped the blood off his hand, and Jack realized that the cuts had healed.

"I was a member of your father's court, though I was in disguise at the time. Oh, it brings back memories. Did you know it was I who gave your father the cursed poison which awoke Aku?"

Something in Jack's mind clicked. His father had told him that the poison which should have destroyed Aku failed. They had never understood why. Now, the pieces were starting to fall together.

"You infiltrated my father's court."

Kaos nodded.

"So Aku created a spy..."

"AKU CREATED ME?" Kaos roared. "YOU INSIGNIFICANT SIMPLE-MINDED IDIOT! I CREATED AKU! I DID!"

Now it was Jack's turn to cry out. "You created Aku? You are responsible for the deaths of countless innocents! How could you create something so evil?"

Kaos's hands were quivering fists. "Everything was fine until Morningstar had to have his war. When Morningstar and his generals were captured, who rallied the remaining daemons? Who convinced the prime evils to form together and create the primodial evil? Who sacked Valhalla, rampaged through Olympus, and fought Hera and her servant the Grim Reaper at the gates of Elysium? This universe, this dimension, all eternity should be bowing to me! Instead, I'm stuck on this mudball planet being shown up by men in dresses wielding swords!"

Jack was speechless, but not from any kind of shock or fear. All that he felt inside of him was rage. Aku may have been the one who destroyed his home and murdered his loved ones, but if Kaos was telling the truth, this creature in front of him was responsible for unleashing the Shogun of Sorrow on the universe.

"You."

"Yes my prince?"

A strange aura seemed to emanate from Jack. It was filled with hatred, anger, and bloodlust. It was the same aura which had once almost killed Jack when it had taken on physical form. He had learned to control it. But, at this moment, Jack couldn't control the madness reawakening.

"You've brought nothing but death to this universe. You don't deserve mercy."

Jack changed his stance. No more Wing Chun. There was only one style that would do now; a most ancient and forbidden art he had been forbidden to use by the master who taught him it. A martial art with no name, created only to kill.

"Oh ho," said Kaos, switching his own stance so that his fists were right up to his face and his elbows stretched out in front of him. "Give me no quarter, for I'll give none in return."

Jack threw a weak punch, one designed to draw the enemy in. Kaos easily avoided the punch by ducking under it and then planting his front foot in the direction of Jack. However, he didn't attack, but maintained the fighting stance he had started in. He wasn't bouncing around, wasn't even moving. The stance was one Jack had never seen before. It looked like Praying Mantis, but his fists were directed towards his face rather than towards Jack.

Jack kept his distance, throwing kicks to try and loosen up the stance. Every kick he threw Kaos blocked with his elbows or knees. Jack couldn't get an opening, but he also had the advantage of speed and space. Kaos wasn't going on the offensive, but his size and strength were unquestionable.

Jack threw another kick. "Break!" shouted Kaos, leaping forward with his knee aimed at Jack's chin. The attack was almost instantaneous, no warning, no sign that he was about to perform it. It took both of Jack's arms to dodge, but he used the momentum of the larger creature to kick the other leg out from under him. Kaos landed hard on his shoulder, causing the whole floor to rumble. Jack pressed his advantage. He kicked the creature in the head, slamming him back down to the ground. Grabbing its arm, he twisted it backwards as hard as he could. It was like trying to pin down a bucking bronco, but luck was on Jack's side. Even though he wasn't human, Jack bet that Kaos still had human characteristics – like bones.

SNAP!

The arm finally gave way at the elbow, breaking in a way that was never intended.

"AARRGGGHH!" Kaos roared, twisting to throw Jack off. Jack, still holding onto the arm, was thrown but quickly rolled to his feet.

Kaos rose to his feet in a less gracious way, his arm hanging limp. With his other arm, he grabbed the broken arm and snapped it back into place. Jack saw that the skin on top of the elbow was boiling.

"You're even better then they said. A lesser man would be a pancake right now."

Jack threw a weak punch, one designed to draw the enemy in. Kaos easily avoided the punch by ducking under it and then planting his front foot in the direction of Jack. However, he didn't attack, but maintained the fighting stance he had started in. He wasn't bouncing around, wasn't even moving. The stance was one Jack had never seen before. It looked like Praying Mantis, but his fists were directed towards his face rather than towards Jack.

Jack kept his distance, throwing kicks to try and loosen up the stance. Every kick he threw Kaos blocked with his elbows or knees. Jack couldn't get an opening, but he also had the advantage of speed and space. Kaos wasn't going on the offensive, but his size and strength were unquestionable.

Jack threw another kick. "Break!" shouted Kaos, leaping forward with his knee aimed at Jack's chin. The attack was almost instantaneous, no warning, no sign that he was about to perform it. It took both of Jack's arms to dodge, but he used the momentum of the larger creature to kick the other leg out from under him. Kaos landed hard on his shoulder, causing the whole floor to rumble. Jack pressed his advantage. He kicked the creature in the head, slamming him back down to the ground. Grabbing its arm, he twisted it backwards as hard as he could. It was like trying to pin down a bucking bronco, but luck was on Jack's side. Even though he wasn't human, Jack bet that Kaos still had human characteristics – like bones.

SNAP!

The arm finally gave way at the elbow, breaking in a way that was never intended.

"AARRGGGHH!" Kaos roared, twisting to throw Jack off. Jack, still holding onto the arm, was thrown but quickly rolled to his feet.

Kaos rose to his feet in a less gracious way, his arm hanging limp. With his other arm, he grabbed the broken arm and snapped it back into place. Jack saw that the skin on top of the elbow was boiling.

"You're even better then they said. A lesser man would be a pancake right now."

SMACK!

The guard's fist cracked across Jack's face, just one of many blows he had taken since being chained to a chair in a chamber that had obviously been built exactly for this purpose. It was a single cement room, no windows, only one door and one light. Though he couldn't see it clearly, Jack believed that on the walls he could make out dark red splotches that no one ever bothered to clean up.

The door opened and in walked Kaos. He motioned to the guards to leave, which they quickly complied. Now it was just Jack and the demon. Kaos reached into his cloak and pulled out the CD Jack had given him earlier.

"I've been watching this video of Dr. Wakeman. Truly a moving performace, awards all around. My favorite part was when she cried over her daughter's destruction. I look forward to that battle."

He tossed the CD on the ground. Jack didn't bother to look up at him.

"The boss, she...he...it? Anyway, she told me all about your exploits in the future, but I wanted to hear it from your mouth. What's the future like? Flying cars, sassy robot maids," he crushed the CD under his heel, "space-ly sprock-ets?"

Kaos walked around Jack, slowly circling the samurai. Jack didn't move.

"Now, let me get this straight. You discovered a device that could send you back in time, but were captured by an assassin. A young girl named, Sakura, was it? Anyway, she rescues you and helps you steal the time device, only to end up getting her and the device captured by Ikra. You assemble everyone you ever helped, including a Scotsman, a Princess, two young monks, and a giant furry creature, and storm Aku's fortress. You killed the assassin and beat Aku, but Aku tried to take the whole world down with him. The young girl managed to seal Aku into your sword, at which point you _broke your own sword_ just to destroy the evil forever."

Kaos stopped for a moment to let his words sink in.

"Commendable, except, and this is my favorite part, Aku took a part of himself and recreated Ikra, whom tricked you before, then severed their link. Thus, when Aku died, she survived, and when you weren't paying attention...she drove your own sword through the young girl who saved you and took the time device. And as the girl lay dying in your arms, she declared her undying love for you, how sweet." His voice had a hint of annoyance. "Like bad fanfiction."

Jack mumbled something.

"What was that?" Kaos grabbed Jack under the chin and lifted his head up.

"That's not what happened," was all Jack said.

"What do I care what happened or didn't happen? Now that I know all about you, the moment you come through that portal in the future from the past, one hundred armed guards will be waiting to ensure you don't make it ten feet. You're through, prince, the journey is over. You won't leave this room alive."

Kaos turned as if he was going to leave. However, before he reached the door, he stopped in his place.

"Unless..." he turned his head towards Jack, "you do something for me."

Kaos writhed on the floor as electricity shot through his body and all his muscles contracted at once. In front of him, several monitors broadcasting live had the shadowy figure of a woman looking upon the Dark Prophet's pain. Her voice was seductive yet also sinister and vengeful.

"Who told you to let him go? I told you to kill on sight!" she spewed venom at her servant.

"He can-we can use-him," the pain was too much for Kaos to even get out a complete sentence.

The convulsions stopped and Kaos was able to recover.

"Explain. NOW."

Kaos balanced on one knee as he explained. "He can get into the temple and they won't question him. None of our Heylin warriors have that advantage."

"Hmm..." said the woman. "I never thought of that. Good idea. And Kaos?"

"Yes, Lord Ak-ERKG!" The electricity returned, sending him falling to the ground.

"You need to learn your place. My orders are law. And without the Chaos Engine, your survival depends on me. I AM in charge, as I have ALWAYS been and ALWAYS will be."   
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The skies had opened up and the rain broke the heat of the city. Most of the streets had cleared of people, escaping to the indoors to avoid the falling showers. A crack of thunder in the distance suggested heavier storms to come. Nobody wanted to be outside when the real storm got there.

The only two people on the street were a red-haired boy carrying a small electronic device and a taller blond-haired girl who had wisely brought an umbrella when her brother had decided to take off on this expedition.

"Dexter, we need to go home. It's going to storm and Mom's going to be mad."

Dexter was too busy examining his tracker. He had made sure to plant a homing device on Jack before the man had left to make sure Dexter could follow. Sure it was selfish, but it wasn't everyday a man from the past who went to the future and came back to the present dropped in uninvited. Jack had given Dexter a CD to copy, with the original copy kept safely inside computer. His curiousity got the best of him and he watched it. What was on that CD nearly blew his mind.

Dr. Nora Wakeman, one of the leading roboticists of the day, talking about the apocalypse and the role she played in it. In the near future, which technically could be any day, the "peace-keeping" robots which she built to protect the planet against the "Darkstars," whatever that meant, will turn on their planet and conquer it for the warlord Jack was talking about. The most shocking part had been when Dr. Wakeman stood up and revealed that they had replaced her entire body, with the exception of her head, with machinery.

"This is what happens," she cried, "to those who oppose Aku!"

The only problem with this evidence was, of course, finding someone to believe it. "Hey, the world's going to get conquered. **How do you know?** I have a message..._from the future._" He could almost hear Mentok the Mindtaker: "Ooo wee eee ooo wee ooo!"

Suddenly the tracker stopped and seemed to point down an alleyway. Lying in the alleyway, beaten, bruised, and soaked, was the man named Jack.

The two of them ran up to him. Deedee pulled out the raincoat she had brought and placed it over him.

"Can you walk?" asked Dexter.

Jack only nodded, and the two helped him up. Deedee looked at his face as he opened his eyes.

He looked as broken as his sword.

Kaos writhed on the floor as electricity shot through his body and all his muscles contracted at once. In front of him, several monitors broadcasting live had the shadowy figure of a woman looking upon the Dark Prophet's pain. Her voice was seductive yet also sinister and vengeful.

"Who told you to let him go? I told you to kill on sight!" she spewed venom at her servant.

"He can-we can use-him," the pain was too much for Kaos to even get out a complete sentence.

The convulsions stopped and Kaos was able to recover.

"Explain. NOW."

Kaos balanced on one knee as he explained. "He can get into the temple and they won't question him. None of our Heylin warriors have that advantage."

"Hmm..." said the woman. "I never thought of that. Good idea. And Kaos?"

"Yes, Lord Ak-ERKG!" The electricity returned, sending him falling to the ground.

"You need to learn your place. My orders are law. And without the Chaos Engine, your survival depends on me. I AM in charge, as I have ALWAYS been and ALWAYS will be."   
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The skies had opened up and the rain broke the heat of the city. Most of the streets had cleared of people, escaping to the indoors to avoid the falling showers. A crack of thunder in the distance suggested heavier storms to come. Nobody wanted to be outside when the real storm got there.

The only two people on the street were a red-haired boy carrying a small electronic device and a taller blond-haired girl who had wisely brought an umbrella when her brother had decided to take off on this expedition.

"Dexter, we need to go home. It's going to storm and Mom's going to be mad."

Dexter was too busy examining his tracker. He had made sure to plant a homing device on Jack before the man had left to make sure Dexter could follow. Sure it was selfish, but it wasn't everyday a man from the past who went to the future and came back to the present dropped in uninvited. Jack had given Dexter a CD to copy, with the original copy kept safely inside computer. His curiousity got the best of him and he watched it. What was on that CD nearly blew his mind.

Dr. Nora Wakeman, one of the leading roboticists of the day, talking about the apocalypse and the role she played in it. In the near future, which technically could be any day, the "peace-keeping" robots which she built to protect the planet against the "Darkstars," whatever that meant, will turn on their planet and conquer it for the warlord Jack was talking about. The most shocking part had been when Dr. Wakeman stood up and revealed that they had replaced her entire body, with the exception of her head, with machinery.

"This is what happens," she cried, "to those who oppose Aku!"

The only problem with this evidence was, of course, finding someone to believe it. "Hey, the world's going to get conquered. **How do you know?** I have a message..._from the future._" He could almost hear Mentok the Mindtaker: "Ooo wee eee ooo wee ooo!"

Suddenly the tracker stopped and seemed to point down an alleyway. Lying in the alleyway, beaten, bruised, and soaked, was the man named Jack.

The two of them ran up to him. Deedee pulled out the raincoat she had brought and placed it over him.

"Can you walk?" asked Dexter.

Jack only nodded, and the two helped him up. Deedee looked at his face as he opened his eyes.

He looked as broken as his sword.

The room was dark except for the lightning that rolled over the clouds every few minutes. Dexter had long fallen asleep and Jack was alone with his thoughts. The boy had managed to sneak him past his parents without incident and they had all gone to bed none the wiser.

The lightning flashed outside.

"This is not your world anymore, my prince. This is a world of madness and fear. And we are its saviors."

The thunder boomed in reply.

"We are the only truely evil corporation in this world, and yet we are treated as heroes. We're not protecting this world out of any sense of kinship or nobility. We're just making sure no one else conquers it before we do."

The rain poured as if the world itself was coming to an end.

"Every super-villain, their only goal is to conquer the world. They think too small. This planet is just the starting point. The entire universe cannot contain our ambition."

Jack sat up in bed and placed his feet on the floor. Dexter was sleeping peacefully, a stark contrast to his mile-a-minute attitude during the day.

He got up and walked out to the hallway. It was dark except for the streetlights coming through the windows. Opening Deedee's room, he looked inside to see her cuddled up with her favorite pony doll. She fidgeted a bit at the next bit of lightning, but otherwise was peaceful. Jack closed the door to let her sleep. Jack didn't go in their parents' bedroom, but he could only imagine the two sleeping peacefully next to the one they loved with all their hearts. It reminded him of his own parents, who through the most terrible times never lost hope that the other would come back.

Jack sat on the stairs and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a locket with a blue jewel in it. The jewel was cracked in half. It was a gift, given to him to remind him that no matter how far he went, there were always those who waited for him to come home. Embroidered on the back were his father and mother. Below their names, Sakura had carved her name in. Below that, the name of a young girl he had never met, but who saved his life. And finally, a name which hurt him to look at. They were all waiting for him, waiting for him to return to their arms. Today had hurt. Sitting in that chair, wondering if he was going to live or die, the idea that he may never return.

He put the locket away and returned to his room.

They would have to wait a little longer.

The Major Glory alarm clock next to Dexter read 5:59 and ticked away until it hit 6 am. "Justice Friends, assemble! Justice Friends, assemble!" a cheap, recorded voice spoke again and again. Dexter turned over and smacked the alarm clock, then rubbed his eyes before putting on his glasses.

The drowsiness immediately passed as he discovered that the makeshift bed which had housed Jack was neatly made and all of Jack's personal belongings were gone. Not that there was much anyway, but still what little he had was gone.

Dexter ran out of his room and into the room of the only other person who knew Jack was there. Opening Deedee's room, a room he had once thought of as the final frontier, Dexter found that Deedee had vacated her room.

Heading outside to find his sister, he discovered her sitting in her favorite spot in a white robe, meditating with Jack next to her. Jack was wearing black pants and a brown bomber jacket and had a brown duffel bag lying next to him.

Jack opened an eye as Dexter came close and smiled at the young boy.

"Dexter, please join us."

"No thanks," Dexter shook his head, "I've had enough of the way of the Deedee"

Deedee didn't acknowlege him, but went on with her chants.

"Alllll-all-all-alllll-righty-thennnnn..." she hummed.

Dexter rolled his eyes. "She does this all the time. Sometimes I wonder if I was switched at birth."

Jack shook his head. "While you may not think it now, family is the most important thing we have in life. Your sister has a very pure soul. She loves you very much."

Jack stood and picked up the duffle bag.

"Where are you going?" Dexter asked.

Jack slung the bag over his shoulder. "My journey continues. I must seek out the masters of this day and age and learn their wisdom. Only then may I once again attempt to fight Aku."

"When are you coming back?"

"When I am ready. I'm sorry I cannot give you more."

A feeling of disappointment appeared in Dexter's gut. Was it because he was losing a perfect specimen, or maybe was it something else?

Then an idea came to his mind. "How about this? While you're gone I'll look into A-Korp and gather evidence for you to use."

Jack knelt down and put his hands on Dexter's shoulders. "Thank you for your help. But please do not place yourself in any danger. This task is mine and mine alone."

With that, Jack picked up his duffel bag and walked down the street, into the sunrise.

As Dexter watched the man leave, at that moment he knew he was watching a true samurai.


End file.
